One of
our frequent contributors, Anne Dawson, told us about the Laurel and
Hardy Museum in Harlem, Georgia. Even though our web site is about the
movie theaters of South Carolina, we felt a strong attraction to the
idea of visiting the museum. After all, it’s only 20 miles west
of the state line between South Carolina and Georgia.

We headed
for Harlem, Georgia, on U.S. Highway 78, through cypress swamps, small
towns and vast farmlands. We are never rushed when we travel. It was
late afternoon when we arrived in Augusta, Georgia. We settled into
our room at the motel and decided to drive the ten miles to Harlem,
just to check out the museum’s location. The museum, located in
a former post office, had closed for the day.

Friday
morning, we drove confidently to Harlem, and parked beside the museum.
It was raining. Inside, we were greeted by two museum volunteers, Linda
Caldwell and Nancy Mulheron. Their enthusiasm was contagious. Nancy
offered us fresh homemade cookies and a tour of the museum. All thoughts
of the rain vanished.

Nancy
pointed out early photographs of native-born Oliver Hardy and told us
about his family history. Joanne, another museum volunteer. arrived.
This cheerful trio were preparing for the arrival of a tour bus full
of Laurel and Hardy fans.

Nancy walked
from one display to another, pointing out photographs of Oliver Hardy,
notebooks containing correspondence related to “Ollie” and
binders containing Hardy family genealogy.

Tall cabinets
lined the walls and contained an indescribable variety of Laurel and
Hardy memorabilia. Cookie jars, plates, dolls, ornaments, posters, books,
and toys filled the shelves. In a trunk was a quilt honoring Laurel
and Hardy. The quilt was hand-made by local school children.

Nancy, Joanne, and Linda - Enthusiastic Volunteers

Among
the hundreds of items, two hats caught our attention. One was a helmet
worn by Oliver Hardy in the movie “Bonnie Scotland” (1935,
Hal Roach Studios) and a Fez worn in the movie “Sons of the Desert”
(1933, Hal Roach Studios.)

Nancy left
us to enjoy the exhibits. After awhile, she returned and escorted us
into the small screening room, called “Babe’s Bijou.”
At the front of the small theater, were more exhibits. These displays
showed photographs from the annual Oliver Hardy Festival. This event,
held in early October, has been going on since 1989, and now draws over
350 craft vendors and 32,000 visitors.

Just as
I was reaching for another one of Nancy’s chocolate chip peanut
butter cookies, the tour bus arrived. The visitors were from many places,
including England and Singapore.

The group
from the bus clustered in twos and threes around various exhibits. They
pointed and talked about the items in the cabinets. Occasionally, they
would all laugh. After awhile, the group entered "Babe's Bijou"
for a screening of a Laurel and Hardy classic film.

After the
film, the group returned to the displays. They sipped coffee and ate
Nancy's delicious cookies. They sat with likenesses of Laurel and Hardy
in a "tin Lizzy" for photographs. They posed beside life-size
statues of "the boys" for more photographs.

I offered
to take photographs of some of the group. I noticed Mark had volunteered
to help Nancy give out buttons that said, “I toured the Laurel
and Hardy Museum of Harlem, Georgia.”

After the
tour bus left, we had a chance to talk more with the three volunteers.
We heard about the annual festival. They told us about patrons who donated
memorabilia. They shared stories about the beginnings of the museum
and the many people who come to visit.

It was
late in the afternoon and we were getting hungry. Linda suggested we
eat at the Acorn Restaurant. It was just down the street. We had delicious
smoked chicken sandwiches and topped it off with homemade pecan pie.

Laurel
and Hardy are everywhere in Harlem, Georgia. They are painted on the
side of a local car dealership, on the side of the old Columbia Theater,
and Ollie is looking down from the local water tower.

We didn’t
get a chance to visit the local antique car museum or the pecan store.
But, we agree, there is much to see and do in Harlem, Georgia. The museum
volunteers, Linda, Nancy and Joanne, made us feel welcome. They are
warm and generous and very positive about Harlem and its future. We
look forward to our next trip there.

We had
a great trip and enjoyed our "Perfect Day" with Laurel and
Hardy. Their films span the silent and sound eras. They include feature
and short films. You won't find their joyous comedies at the local megaplex.
But, with a little effort, you can bring their delightful humor into
your life through videotape and DVD. It's worth the effort.

Many individual
films and boxed collections are available for rent from NetFlix
and for purchase from Amazon.com.
Do yourself a favor. Get your hands on some Laurel and Hardy classic
comedy films. Turn off the phone, throw some popcorn in the microwave,
and travel back to a simpler time with "the boys."

In the
front seat: Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
In the back seat: Mark Tiedje and John Coles.